Cadillac SRX Second Generation Forum - 2010+ Discussion, Potential new SRX owner... nervous about pulling the trigger! in Cadillac SRX Forums; I'm in the market for a luxury crossover. To start this thread off, I have never owned an American car. ...

Potential new SRX owner... nervous about pulling the trigger!

I'm in the market for a luxury crossover. To start this thread off, I have never owned an American car. I've only owned Hondas, Toyotas, and Acuras and a VW... the one consistent thing about all of the Japanese vehicles (this is over a 20 year period) is that they are never in the shop (the VW was a repair nightmare). Contrast that notion with the fact that I grew up in a family that owned American cars and they were always in the shop!

Anyhow, I've looked at the usual suspects in the X-over class: Audi Q5 (which I won't buy because of my VW experience), the BMW X3, the Mercedes GLK, and the Volvo XC60...oh, and by the way, the SRX!

A year ago I drove the SRX for a few days out west on vacation. I was definitely impressed. BUT, the amount of road noise reminded too much of my Hondas (which is a sticking point for me with Honda). I've read, though, that the 2012 SRX has addressed the road noise problem with added sound proofing.

As of now, I like the idea of owning a BMW or Mercedes... but I just can't get past the fact that they are among the WORST when considering reliability. So they are off my list.

That leads me to the Volvo (which I am considering) and the SRX. As of now, Consumer Reports has the SRX reliability rated as "Average" and the JD Power ratings are also middle of the road. This and the fact that other Cadillacs and Chevys have a long list of poor reliability histories makes me VERY nervous about owning an SRX. 40K plus is a lot of money to lay out for a car that is not going to be durable and reliable. Through my searches I have come across owner reviews that list endless problems with their SRX models... and, quite honestly, it makes me think that I am fooling myself that I can buy a Cadillac and have it be repair free for the next 6 or 7 years (like the Honda and Acura I currently own).

I hoping that some of you with ownership experience can tell me about your Cadillac experiences.... and your experience with an '10 or later SRX model.

Re: Potential new SRX owner... nervous about pulling the trigger!

Any car can turn out to be a lemon, as we all know. I have driven many different makes over the years, including two Mercedes, and I can tell you that the SRX is quiet! The least noise of any car we have owned. I am sure it will be reliable; but if not, I have a great dealer who will take care of it. Go for it! Even though it is assembled in Mexico, it is an "American" car.

Re: Potential new SRX owner... nervous about pulling the trigger!

I'm really not sure if a discount would sway me either way. As it is, our local dealer (Fitzgerald Frederick) is a dealer cost seller --- no negotiating - and their current offer on a Performance model is $43K, which is roughly 90% of invoice. I can't imagine that offer getting any better than that... can it?

Beyond the issue of cost, I still have that outside issue of reliability that sits in the corner of the room like a 20 ton gorilla.

Re: Potential new SRX owner... nervous about pulling the trigger!

Our 10 has been in the shop three times. Twice for oil changes, and once to replace the dreaded chrome strip, and they have gotten that issue taken care of a long time ago. I have drove nothing but American cars my entire life, specifically GM, and have found them to be very reliable, for the most part. My 08 CTS was a nightmare for the first 3 months, but GM did what was needed to fix it, and it is still being driven daily by my neighbor who I sold it to when we purchased the SRX. ANY vehicle either foreign or domestic will have problems. They are mechanical, people build them, and they WILL break. GM Jim, is right though. This forum tends drastically toward the negative. People who are upset grip and post. Most of those who have a great experience, just enjoy it and don't ever think to share them. I am sure there are some naysayers, that will be around soon to share their opinions with you. I could tell you their names, but they always post negative, and they will make themselves known. If you like it buy it, if you don't then don't buy. Nobody can guarantee you a trouble free vehicle. Get what you think will make you happy.

Re: Potential new SRX owner... nervous about pulling the trigger!

@greg

I get it - and I agree any car can be a lemon. Its the overall repair numbers that I don't like --- the repairs per 100 cars (like on true delta), were some cars and specific manufacturers have low overall ratings across the board. I know American manufacturers have tried their best (read: in a fight for their life) to begin making cars that are reliable and competitive. And outside of Chrysler, it seems that most brands have improved. All that being said, there is a part of me that sees average marks and I can almost convince myself that it's impossible for a manufacturer to change the tide in a 3 or 4 year period.

I know I'm talking in circles... this is a tough choice, though. 40K + is a lot of cash to lay out on the table!

Thanks for the post, Ponyman... I do like the vehicle. I like the the Volvo xc60 also... this is really coming down to longevity and owner cost. I'm sure you can understand... it would probably be like me trying to convince you to buy a honda pick-up!

I know there are naysayers, etc... I've read plenty of their comments in the review articles. And, I will ignore them. I just wanted to hear from some folks who actually own and use the car!

Re: Potential new SRX owner... nervous about pulling the trigger!

My two cents:

Take care of your car, it will take care of you! You ignore it and don't keep up the maintenance and it will let you down every time... I suspect most issues with cars are from people who do nothing more than put gas into them and run them into the ground.

Re: Potential new SRX owner... nervous about pulling the trigger!

Leekes, if you are in Frederick MD, consider Moore in Chantilly VA. We sat down and I offered invoice (which they previously told me was about the best they could do) and the manager came in and took $250 off that (as well as bumping up my trade by $500).
As for reliabillity, I've always owned american (2 dodge/chrysler, last 4 were GM) and while I have had little issues, I wouldnt call any of them even a 'problem child'... I would never compare reliability of an 80s model to now tho. They just dont compare on technical specs, manufacturing tolerances, etc... But they are machines made by men; just like ponyman said. As for comments here or elsewhere, I always go by the rule that generally, the people who post to the internet, are those with negative comments. Its just our nature that we bitch about problems, and sit fat, dumb, and happy when things work right... I found bad comments about lots of dealers, but if there was only a couple of them, I knew there were tons who just didnt take the time to get online and say 'this dealer is GREAT!'....

Re: Potential new SRX owner... nervous about pulling the trigger!

Huey,

Thanks for your reply. How old is your SRX? What has been your impression?

As for the dealer - Fitzgerald is selling them 3K below invoice. Performance trims are going for about $43K. That seems like a deal that is really hard to beat, especially because there is no haggling involved, no?

I really wasn't looking to hear the negatives from people --- what I am hoping to get a sense of is the end impression. Sounds like you've had a positive one...

Re: Potential new SRX owner... nervous about pulling the trigger!

Before buying my 2010 SRX AWD Turbo Premium we'd had 4 Lexus RX's. Just got tired of the boredom and in my area that's all you see. I looked at Acura, Lincoln and MB. The MB was very nice but to get it loaded comparably with the SRX Premuim with every option other than a DVD you're comparing $62K to less than $50K bought right..

Other than a couple of early issues, chrome strip, software update, etc it's been trouble free at 30,000 miles. I'll very likely get a 2012 or wait for the 2013 if I can be patient.